Clipless Mountain Bike Shoe Reccomendations

[stuckathuntermtn]

No idea how it fits your foot. I have the kestrel lace and love it.

Only issue I have broken the metal loop for the velcro strap on both shoes. I have fairly low volume feet, so the strap gets pulled pretty far, and as the shoe gets worn in, lose more of the space to velcro it. I love all other aspects of the shoe.

Damn, I kinda have low volume feet, although decent instep height.
I'm asking specifically about the heal cup and cushion. The Boa version doesn't seem to have any. Not even much of a cup shape.

[bagtagley]

I'm leary of BOA. It's been mostly fine so far, but can be difficult to loosen when packed with dirt, and the rubber knurls have fallen off making them more difficult to tighten. I'm going on two years with minimal issues, but the shoes are in good shape so I'm having doubts that the BOA will last with the rest of the shoes (Northwave Nirvana).

I agree that Velcro alone doesn't cut it, but I'm not necessarily sold on BOA over more traditional ratcheting systems. I still think laces are king for fit, but they need to be protected which adds bulk and kills ventilation...and I'm lazy.

[plugboots]

Just maintain your boa and they’ll work fine, maybe Northwave will give you new buttons, or put some silicone rubber on those. If you break a BOA just tye it in a square knot and replace it when you get a chance. I used to carry a spare BOA cord in my pack.
Everything has some sort of issue. Laces break, ratchets break and slip, velcro doesn’t last and doesn’t work when it’s wet. I think BOA is the best compromise

[mmmm...pow!]

Pretty sure Northwave uses their own system, similar to BOA, but not the same. At least on some of their shoes, such as the Enduro Mid I linked above. The regular Enduro model uses laces with a slider dealy and velcro and is the far and away ht ebest shoe I have used.

[Shredhead]

I'm having doubts that the BOA will last with the rest of the shoes (Northwave Nirvana).

BOA's customer service is top notch with free replacement parts.

But I don't think NW's system is BOA either.

[bsavery]

The things I'll say about BOA is they seem to work ok when they are just doing one per row, when you have one BOA tightening the entire shoe they seem to be more prone to breaking and not adjusting well.

[bagtagley]

Hmm, you're right, not BOA. Wonder how they pulled that off, looks and functions the same.

[Groomer Gambler]

Change of subject but anyone have any good all-purpose shoe recommendations for flats? Preferably without big logos and flashy colors (*cough* without a big '5' on the side), and good pedal grip and enough bite for light hiking/trail scrambling off the bike.

[ethanp81]

+1 for Sidi's.